Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)(100)

“I agree, but let’s not provoke him into something stupid.”

She shot a frustrated glance over her shoulder, meeting Tane’s resolute gaze.

“If he takes the babies through a portal we’ll never catch him.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” Tane assured her.

“Arrogant leech,” Ariyal mocked and Laylah turned back in time to see him reach for the mage.

Her heart came to an agonizing halt, but before he could create a portal there was a blast of icy power and Jaelyn was slamming into the Sylvermyst at full speed.

Although Tane had obviously been expecting the attack, Laylah was caught off guard. Unfortunate since the damned mage chose that moment to launch a spell in their direction.

A scream was wrenched from her throat as Tane grasped her arms and shoved her to the side, saving her and taking the full brunt of the spell.

She cursed, her knees making painful contact with the hard ground. Swiftly she scrambled to her feet, her heart in her throat as she caught sight of Tane flying through the air to land with a bone-rattling force against the side of the tunnel.

Muttering her opinion of vampires who always had to play the hero, Laylah stumbled to where he leaned heavily against the wall.

Distantly she was aware of Jaelyn battling with the Sylvermyst and the mage trying to edge toward escape, but Laylah couldn’t concentrate on anything but her wounded mate. “How badly are you hurt?”

He caught her hand that she was skimming down his chest in search of injuries, lifting it to his lips.

“Nothing that won’t heal,” he assured her, his voice thick with pain.

She gave a twist of her hand, pressing her inner wrist against his lips.

“Drink,” she commanded.

He hissed, his head abruptly lifting. “No time, my sweet.” “What do you …”

Her words came to an abrupt end as she caught the scent of herbs. Not Ariyal, but another Sylvermyst. And close.

She reached to pull the handgun from Tane’s pocket, sensing that Jaelyn and Ariyal had brought a sudden end to their battle as they too caught the scent of the approaching intruder.

Lifting the gun, she pointed it at the tall, copper-haired Sylvermyst that stepped into view, praying that Tane had loaded it with silver bullets.

“Tearloch,” Ariyal growled, the shock in his voice genuine. “I thought you left.”

The fey moved with liquid grace to wrap an arm around Sergei’s neck, pressing a dagger to the mage’s temple.

“I returned to right the wrongs of the past,” the Sylvermyst said, his voice harsh and his gaze locked on Ariyal. “We were led astray by those who lost the faith, but we have paid our debt and it is not too late to return to the fold. Come with me, brother and we will free our kin.”

Laylah’s brows snapped together.

Tearloch sounded like a bad actor out of a B-rated movie, but she wasn’t stupid enough to dismiss him. There was a fanatic glint in the sterling silver eyes and a savage expression on his slender face.

“You’re not going anywhere,” she informed the fey, giving a wave of her gun on the off chance he’d missed seeing it aimed at his head.

At the same time Ariyal stepped forward, his face a mask of arrogant command.

“There is no erasing the past, Tearloch. If you release the Dark Lord he will destroy us all.”

The younger fey shook his head, obviously lost in his dangerous delusions.

“We will be his saviors,” he breathed.

“No.” Ariyal’s voice held the authority of a natural leader. “We will be nothing more than traitors that he crushes beneath his heel. The Dark Lord never forgives or forgets.”

Tearloch briefly wavered, his metallic eyes shifting from Ariyal to the others gathered in the tunnel. Then, with a sharp shake of his head, he was dragging the terrified mage down the tunnel.

Laylah’s heart squeezed with terror as she belatedly caught sight of the shimmering portal the fey had already created. Shit. A few more steps and he would disappear with Sergei and the babies.

“You know nothing,” the Sylvermyst was accusing Ariyal, his scent of herbs edged with the putrid taint of madness. “The Master has whispered the truth in my heart.”

“The only truth is that we’re doomed to a slow, painful death if the veil is ever opened,” Ariyal said with a grim certainty.

The fey gave another tug on the mage, one step closer to the portal.

“Then that will be our destiny.”

Sergei gave a small moan, his face a pasty white. “Someone do something.”

Ariyal lifted his bow, pointing the arrow at his fellow Sylvermyst.

“With pleasure.”

“Stupid, mage,” Tearloch hissed, pressing the dagger deep enough to draw blood. “Your only hope to get off this mountain is me.”

Realization struck Sergei at the same moment that Ariyal launched the arrow. The mage squeaked, then muttering a swift spell, he managed to knock the speeding arrow aside at the last minute.

Laylah grit her teeth. Dammit. She felt like she was in a French farce. Only without the humor.

Keeping her gun trained on the Sylvermyst, she tracked his struggle to yank Sergei toward the portal, but she didn’t pull the trigger. She was an excellent shot, but she wasn’t perfect. What if she hit one of the babies?

Thankfully, Tane didn’t have to hesitate.